Weekend in Belluno

Historic 1920s café with original Art Deco fittings and a tiny local history library upstairs. You can sit without buying anything, but the atmosphere is the draw.

Tip: Tuesday afternoon at 17:00 – retired locals play cards and tell stories in dialect. They'll welcome polite observers. Don't ask for Wi-Fi; this is a phone-down zone.

Belluno's cathedral, rebuilt in the 16th century after an earthquake. Plain exterior hides a bright Baroque interior with frescoes and a fine altarpiece by Cesare Vecellio.

Tip: Look for the wooden choir stalls carved by local craftsmen in the 17th century.

Belluno's cathedral, built in the 16th century. Plain exterior, but inside there are paintings by Schiavone and a wooden choir from 1600.

Tip: Go at 11am on a weekday to catch the sunlight through the east window – it hits the altarpiece directly.

Civic museum housed in a former convent. Shows Belluno's history from Roman times to the 19th century with paintings, archaeological finds and local craft pieces.

Tip: Free entry on the first Sunday of each month. Check the temporary exhibitions in the cloister.

Small civic museum in a former convent, with local art and archaeological finds from the area, including Roman remains.

Tip: Free on the first Sunday of each month. Otherwise €5 for adults — still a bargain. Allow 1-2 hours.

A compact medieval square featuring the Cathedral of San Martino with its tall bell tower and notable 15th-century frescoes. Fee only for the bell tower climb.

Tip: The bell tower climb costs about 2 euros and gives panoramic views of the Alps. Check the cathedral's timetable for mass times—if you go during mass, enter quietly and sit at the back.

13th-century church with frescoes by local artists and a striking Gothic bell tower. Quiet and free to enter.

Tip: Check the side chapel for a faded 15th-century fresco of St Christopher — locals say it’s the oldest in town.

Town museum in Palazzo Fulcis. Covers local archaeology, paintings from the 14th-18th centuries and a small ceramic collection. Free on first Sunday of each month.

Tip: Go on a rainy afternoon – the ground-floor gallery with Belluno's medieval wooden sculptures is empty and quiet.

Ruins of a medieval castle on a hilltop just above the old town. Only the tower and some wall sections remain, but the view over Belluno and the Dolomites is excellent.

Tip: You can walk up from Via Rialto through the staircase alleys — it's steep but takes about 10 minutes. The tower interior isn't open, but the grounds are free and quiet.

Modest but well-curated museum in the Palazzo dei Giuristi. Covers local archaeology, Renaissance art and a small natural history collection. Free on the first Sunday of each month

Tip: Go for the temporary exhibitions in the lower ground floor – often feature contemporary local artists which most tourists miss.